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South Severian Community
The South Severian Community (Therionese: Südseverischer Gemeinschaft; Eastonian:'' Sydseveriska gemenskapen''; Suidinese: Suid-Severiese Gemeenschap), formerly known as the South Severian Confederation, is a trade and military alliance between the states of Hekkia, Therion and Suid in southern Severia. Formal South Severian cooperation became a political reality in 2 CE with the signing of the Articles of Confederation by colonial delegates from Hekkia and Therion but the foundation for it was laid earlier in Project Utopia, a top secret colonization effort by the Eastonian and Reuselerrian governments in the late 1st century BCE. While initially conceptualized as a political union, it evolved into a looser alliance of independent states in 108 CE. Today, South Severia is one of the world's wealthiest and most developed regions with a GDP per capita far above the world average. History Project Utopia (28 BCE - 1 CE) There are very few sources confirming the existence of Project Utopia, but records of a closed door meeting between Eastonian President Akzelius Gurra and Reuselerrian Prime Minister Vanessa Câble in 28 BCE stipulating a top-secret addendum to a trade agreement being negotiated between the two nations outlines a plan to "preserve the diversity of New Iotania in the event of apocalypse" with two major operations: an underground survival bunker in the recently acquired Empress Islands headed by the Reuselerrian military, and an Eastonian-lead project to colonize and settle far-away lands. The latter is what came to be known as Project Utopia with the first wave of settlers arriving in the Centralian archipelago of Severia in 1 BCE, from where they travelled southwest to designated coordinates. First Confederation Era (2 - 48 CE) Colonization was initially a successful endeavour but due to the vast distances involved, contact with New Iotania was limited and it soon became clear that operating under the command of the Eastonian and Reuselerrian governments was unsustainable. In 2 CE, colonial delegates from the settlements of Akzeleå and Viviensmund signed the Articles of Confederation which laid the foundation of Hekkia and Therion as autonomous sister states within a South Severian union. This move was largely symbolic as this de facto constitution granted full autonomy for both states with no provision for any central government beyond the capability of the separate state governments to meet and sign treaties to that effect. While Hekkia had declared itself officially independent from Eastonia with the introduction of a new state constitution of its own earlier that same year, Therion wouldn't come to shed its status as a Reuselerrian crown colony until the early 20s. The extent of cooperation between the two states during this era revolved largely around joint infrastructure projects such as the Akzeleå-Viviensmund railway which opened in 22 CE, and the Lost Decade of Therionese isolation following on that kept the confederation as no more than a mere formality with the Hekkian government barely reacting to the events that led up to Lena Meyer's seizure of power in Viviensmund. Second Confederation Era (49 - 107 CE) Following the democratization efforts by the Meyer government in 46 CE, the Hekkian Peace and Love government under President Martin Liebe made moves towards closer confederate integration during the resumption of regular meetings between the two nation's leaders in early 49 CE. An amendment to the Articles of Confederation was presented to and approved by the parliaments of both states later that year which established for the first time a central confederate government with a President of the Confederation as its head executive elected by a legislature of state representatives to be known as the Confederate Council. Former Hekkian president Clara Björk was elected the first President of South Severia with the backing of liberal and conservative members of the council and spearheaded an agenda of unifying the two nation's armed forces under a confederate banner and consolidating foreign policy under a confederate department of foreign affairs. Hekkia and Therion remained in full control of domestic affairs and these changes were implemented slowly without much controversy. Economic crisis hit South Severia in the 50s with a shortage of agricultural imports from Red Pepperland causing a stock market crash in Therion and a resulting secondary food crisis in Hekkia leading to general strike in the western state followed by spiraling iron prices. The situation wouldn't come to stabilize until the end of the decade through coordinated efforts by the state governments to promote local food production and directed aid packets from Therionese investors. Clara Björk held on to her position through this period thanks to her well-earned reputation among confederate legislators aswell as the background role of the confederate government which was mainly concerned with diplomatic and military matters rather than domestic events. She would come to retire in 70 CE and was succeeded in the position by former Therionese chancellor Dana Löw. In 76 CE, the Confederate Council passed legislation imposing a term length of nine years on the presidency which had previosly been undefined. Liberals continued to dominate confederate politics throughout the 80s and when Dana Löw left office in 85 CE after two terms as President of the Confederation, former Hekkian president Björn Roos was elected as the liberal nominee. The fascist coup d'etat in Therion of 88 CE was met with heavy military force by the confederal government and its Suidinese allies but the involvement of socialist partisans in bringing down the Erweckung movement lead to a left-wing wave throughout the confederation which lessened the liberal grip on power, leading to the election of social democrat Gina DeNorte in 94 CE who had previously served as Therionese Minister of Foreign Affairs during the 70s. South Severian Community (108 CE - ) Following the rise of communism in Therion following Vereinigte Sozialisten's electoral victories in the late 90s and early 100s, the foundation of the confederation became more shaky as the primarily liberal Hekkian delegation came at odds with the Therionese delegation at numerous times such as in the debate on TNT disarmament and potential South Severian intervention in the Nagastani war of independence. In 108 CE, Therionese Volkspräsident Adele Thielmann announced her government's intention to withdraw from the South Severian Confederation by the end of the year which prompted Gina DeNorte to invite the leaders of Hekkia and Therion to a summit at her residence in VIviensmund to deescalate the situation. The summit reduced the threat of an impending Thexit as a new Viviensmund Treaty replacing the Articles of Confederation was signed and ratified by both states. In many ways the two treaties were identical, but key points included the return of jurisdiction over defence and foreign affairs to the individual states and a name change to the South Severian Community. In 109 CE, Suid which had previously been an associated state of the confederation became a full-fledged member of the South Severian Community. Politics The South Severian Community is organized in accordance with the Viviensmund Treaty which was signed in 108 CE to replace the former Articles of Confederation. It defines the nature of the political relationship between the member states and outlines the structure of its governing bodies aswell as certain basic rights and freedoms for citizens of all states. South Severian Council The primary political organ of the alliance is the South Severian Council (Therionese: Südseverischer Rat; Eastonian:'' Sydseveriska rådet''; Suidinese: Suid-Severiese Raad), an assembly of representatives appointed by the respective state governments. It has a total of 72 seats, with 24 reserved for each member state. Set up as a legislative body, its members debate and vote on motions concerning the inner workings of the South Severian Community and the scope of its cooperation on areas like defence and the single market. Motions passed by the council requires the approval of a majority within all state delegations or their respective national parliaments to be enacted. State representatives on the council come from both partisan and non-partisan backgrounds and while their potential affiliation with a party at home is of significance, the main working groups in the council are the four South Severian parties to which state parties of similar ideological leanings or political interests align themselves. The South Severian United Left (SSUL) is a left-wing bloc gathering socialist parties who are against further integration between member states and would like to eventually dismantle the organization. The Free Alliance of Democrats and Socialists (FADS) is a centre-left bloc gathering social democratic and other left-wing parties who favor the current degree of cooperation within the South Severian Community or would like to see it expand. The Alliance of Liberals and Republicans for South Severia (ALRSS) unites parties advocating for liberal economic policies and republican movements throughout South Severia who strive for the preservation of Eastonian democracy and further integration between member states. The South Severian Conservatives and Reformists (SSCR) are an alliance of centre-right parties who oppose any further integration within the Community. There are also non-aligned members of the council, most notably the entire Therionese delagation who are all non-partisan representatives of Therionese government ministries. The South Severian Council is seated in Akzeleå. President of the South Severian Community The council in turn elects a President of the South Severian Community to lead the organization and oversee a panel of commissioners responsible for implementing policy set by the council. The President is elected to a 9-year term but can be re-elected at the end of it if they still have the confidence of the council. The President is seated in Viviensmund. List of Presidents Flag The South Severian flag was first adopted in 2 CE by the Articles of Confederation as a symbol of unity between the two states of Hekkia and Therion. It is based on the blue, black and white military flag of Eastonia with a red bar at the hoist symbolising the confederation's Reuselerrian heritage. Eastonian_Armed_Forces-flag_600px.png|Flag of the Eastonian Defence Forces ReuselerriaFlag.png|Flag of Reuselerria SSC-flag.png|Flag of the South Severian Confederation Category:Severia